Biography
David Ayer (born January 18, 1968) is an American filmmaker known for making crime films that are set in Los Angeles and deal with gangs and police corruption. His screenplays include Training Day (2001), The Fast and the Furious (2001), and S.W.A.T. (2003). He has also directed Harsh Times (2005), Street Kings (2008), End of Watch (2012), Sabotage (2014), and The Beekeeper (2024). In 2016, he directed the superhero movie Suicide Squad from the DC Extended Universe and then the urban fantasy fil...
Known For
Complete Filmography
A Working Man
2025
Director, Producer, Screenplay
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is l...
Bosco
2024
Executive Producer
Based on the true story of Quawntay “Bosco” Adams. Sentenced to 35 years for attempted possession of marijuana, Adams miraculously escaped from a Fede...
The Beekeeper
2024
Director
One man's campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization kno...
Snorkeling
2023
Executive Producer
Snorkeling is an authentic coming-of-age film about love, addiction, and mental health. All of us - especially young people - fear loneliness and isol...
The Suicide Squad
2021
Thanks
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X...
Joker: Put on a Happy Face
2020
as Self
Featuring interviews with filmmakers and industry legends, discover the origins and evolution of The Joker, and learn why The Clown Prince of Crime is...
The Tax Collector
2020
Screenplay, Director
David Cuevas is a family man who works as a gangland tax collector for high ranking Los Angeles gang members. He makes collections across the city wit...
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
2020
Executive Producer
Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare di...
Ready for War
2019
Executive Producer
Andrew Renzi’s heartfelt and hard-hitting documentary sheds light on the lives of three of the estimated thousands of immigrants who volunteer for ser...
Bright
2017
Director, Writer, Producer
In an alternate present-day where magical creatures live among us, two L.A. cops become embroiled in a prophesied turf battle.
Suicide Squad
2016
Writer, Director
From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, un...
DC Films Presents Dawn of the Justice League
2016
as Self
A documentary special taking a look at the upcoming films making up the DC Universe. Kevin Smith hosts with Geoff Johns, as they take a look at Batman...
Fury
2014
Director, Writer, Producer
In the last months of World War II, as the Allies make their final push in the European theatre, a battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant named 'Wardaddy'...
Sabotage
2014
Director, Producer, Writer
John 'Breacher' Wharton leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world's deadliest drug cartels. When the team successfully executes a high-sta...
End of Watch
2012
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine...
The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
An in-depth look at Dirty Harry (1971), featuring interviews with such film artists as Michael Madsen, 'Hal Holbrook', John Milius, 'Shane Black' and ...
A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
Filmmakers, social scientists and authors take a provocative look at the moral, political and ethical themes of the Dirty Harry films.
The Business End: Violence in Cinema
2008
as Self
An unflinching look at the ongoing debate on violence in movies and its effect on the audience.
The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
2008
as Self
Follow Eastwood's career from television star to matinee idol to Oscar-winning director in this wide-ranging documentary.
The Craft of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
A look at the cinematographers, editors, musicians, production designers and other talent of the Dirty Harry series.
Street Kings
2008
as NLR member in County Jail (uncredited)
Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned L.A. Police Officer, rarely playing by the rules and haunted by the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in t...
Street Kings
2008
Director
Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned L.A. Police Officer, rarely playing by the rules and haunted by the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in t...
Harsh Times
2005
Director, Producer, Writer
Jim Davis is an ex-Army Ranger who finds himself slipping back into his old life of petty crime after a job offer from the LAPD evaporates. His best f...
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
2004
Production Consultant
Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
S.W.A.T.
2003
Screenplay
Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough D...
Dark Blue
2002
Screenplay
Set during the Rodney King riots, a robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his ...
Training Day
2001
as First Russian Hitman (uncredited)
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
Training Day
2001
Screenplay, Co-Producer, Stunts
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
The Fast and the Furious
2001
Screenplay
Dominic Toretto is a Los Angeles street racer suspected of masterminding a series of big-rig hijackings. When undercover cop Brian O'Conner infiltrate...
U-571
2000
Screenplay
In the midst of World War II, the battle under the sea rages and the Nazis have the upper hand as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. Howe...
Heart of the Beast
N/A
Director, Producer
A former Army Special Forces soldier and his retired combat dog battle for survival after a plane crash deep in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.
The Dirty Dozen
N/A
Director, Screenplay, Producer
The contemporary remake of the 1967 classic war pic.
Six Years
N/A
Director, Writer, Producer
An adaptation from David Ayer of Harlen Coben's novel of the same name.